“I did not attack the media in Heroes and Zeros” – Gabriel Afolayan

Nollywood fast rising actor, Gabriel Afolayan has disclosed that his role as an investigative journalist in the highly anticipated soon-to-be-premiered movie, Heroes and Zeros is one of the roles he has enjoyed the most and that it is not a direct attack on the media. Speaking on his role in the movie, Gabriel revealed that he has always believed in roles that teach moral and correct vices in the society. He said, “For me, I believe that as an actor I should be able to act any role no matter how demanding it is. The role I played in Heroes and Zeros as a bad-boy journalist who
goes about scooping people’s dirty secret is one role I cherish because I was able to reveal some of the rots in the media. “I believe it is a form of campaign against what I call ‘dirty journalism’ which believes that it is only the negative sides of celebrities and people in the limelight that should be reported. And the role is not a ‘collective slap’ on members of the fourth estate; it is just a movie exposing the rot in the system as a whole” In the movie, Gabriel plays the part of an emerging reporter (Dibu Ijele) with Naija Scene, a weekly tabloid. Dibu believes that the only way to beat the competition is to scoop and sell dirt about anyone with a famous face or name. His theory eventually led to the downfall of Bimbo Manuel. Heroes and Zeros brings together a consternation of stars like Bimbo Manuel, Nadia Buari, Gabriel Afolayan, Olu Jacobs, Norbert Young, Akin Lewis, Funsho Adeolu, Chervel Bridgette to tell the story of the destructive pursuance of Tonia (Nadia Buari) by Amos Fele (Bimbo Manuel). Set entirely in Lagos City, Nigeria, ‘Heroes and Zeros’ is a fictional film, yet it looks like a reality-based documentary. Many scenarios appear as if they have been ‘lifted’ directly from (and commenting on) contemporary realities of Nigerian life and living.